1. Technical Field
This application relates to a service provisioning and device management platform. In particular, this application relates to providing a platform for remotely hosting services that allows the services to manage and monitor an immense array of different types of devices, as well as collect and track data sent to and from the devices.
2. Related Art
The rapid development of telecommunications technologies has allowed providers of a wide range of services to manage and control devices remotely. While remote control and management of devices has its advantages, service providers constantly develop new services which require control and management of new types of devices in an effort to stay competitive in the market. In the past, the platforms for managing and controlling the devices were proprietary and once they were developed, the platforms were only able to support the devices and/or services for which they were originally contemplated. If the service provider wished to add support for a new device or service, the service provider would have to expend considerable resources to alter an existing platform or develop a new platform providing support for the new device/service. The situation becomes acute as the market endlessly demands more services and support for newer and more types of devices. The service providers are forced to constantly alter existing platforms or develop new platforms which support the new devices and services, which is time consuming and expensive. Implementing a flexible platform that provides support for virtually any type of service and device is a difficult technical challenge.